Healthcare

Keypath Education Partners with the University of Findlay

ashley.mcguire1 — Wed, 30 Aug 2023 15:42:38 +0000

Keypath Education Partners with the University of Findlay ashley.mcguire1 Wed, 08/30/2023 - 09:42

Keypath Education Partners with the University of Findlay to Launch a Distance Doctor of Pharmacy Degree

The Partnership marks Keypath Education’s first distance Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) degree.

FINDLAY, OHIO and CHICAGO (August 30, 2023) – The University of Findlay and Keypath Education have launched a distance Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) program designed to expand the reach and mission of the University of Findlay and help meet the consistent need for licensed pharmacists across the nation. The first cohort of students begins coursework this month, and student recruitment for Fall 2024 has commenced.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there is a small projected growth in pharmacists’ jobs through 2031. However, the nation is seeing a significant increase in the need for highly skilled and quality pharmacists to practice across the spectrum of the profession. In 2021, there were more than 80,000 job postings for pharmacists, with only 14,223 new PharmD graduates to fill those positions (Lightcast, accessed January 17, 2023; American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy, Fall 2021 Degrees Conferred-Profile of Pharmacy Students). The Ohio 2021 Pharmacist Workload Survey found that 68.6% of responding pharmacists either ‘disagreed’ or ‘strongly disagreed’ that their “work environment has sufficient pharmacist staffing that allows for safe patient care.” As employer demand continues to exceed capacity at institutions across the US, colleges and universities are looking for innovative solutions to overcome constraints limiting growth.

“We are pleased to offer a pathway to a Doctor of Pharmacy degree that meets the expectations and needs of today's learners,” said Debra Parker, Pharm.D., dean of the College of Pharmacy, University of Findlay. “We are providing a flexible learning experience that encompasses distance learning where appropriate, hands-on learning in consolidated on-campus sessions, and of course, experiential learning out in the field. We have the right mix to train tomorrow's pharmacists to serve their communities across the country without asking them to relocate.”

“The University of Findlay has a well-established track record of offering online degree programs. We are excited to build upon this as we launch a distance education pathway to a PharmD,” said Ryan A. Schneider, Pharm.D., Ph.D. Associate Professor of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Associate Dean for Operations and Effectiveness and Chair, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Findlay. “As the first online PharmD program to be offered in the state of Ohio, and with fewer than ten online programs in the country, we believe this pathway will uniquely position our program to be ready to educate the next generation of pharmacists who are seeking a more flexible learning environment.”

Coursework will be offered online with concentrated campus immersions and hands-on experiential practical experiences in the students’ home community sourced by Keypath Education’s placement network. The University of Findlay will also continue to offer a campus-based PharmD program for students who prefer a face-to-face program.

“At Keypath, we know that rural and remote areas are most underserved across many healthcare professions and believe the distance PharmD program can close the shortfall within the Pharmacy profession,” said Steve Fireng, Global CEO, Keypath Education. “We are continuing to support institutions like the University of Findlay to solve this most critical challenge by unlocking opportunities for aspiring pharmacists who live beyond their campus footprint to study, obtain licensure, and practice in the communities that need them the most.”

Universities across the globe are partnering with Keypath Education to design and deliver high-quality, career-relevant, and industry-aligned graduate degrees built for working learners and the future of work, even across traditionally on-campus degrees with clinical placements. Leveraging KeypathEDGE, our end-to-end data and technology platform, Keypath works with university faculty to reimagine in-person degrees into online courses with rural areas, underserved communities, and a global reach in mind. University faculty design and teach the program curriculum and Keypath provides the program management to support an enhanced online student learning experience including program marketing, recruitment, instructional and course design, clinical/experiential placements, and faculty recruitment services.

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About the University of Findlay:
Located in Findlay, Ohio, University of Findlay is known not only for science, health professions, animal science and equestrian studies programs, but also for cultivating the next generation of business leaders, educators, and innovative thinkers through a dedication to experiential learning, both in and outside of the classroom. Established in 1882 through a joint partnership between the Churches of God, General Counsel, and the City of Findlay, University of Findlay has more than 80 majors leading to baccalaureate degrees, offers 11 master’s degrees, and five doctoral degrees. More than 3,500 students are enrolled at Findlay, and the University is nationally recognized by U.S. News and World Report, the Princeton Review, and Money magazine.

About Keypath Education:
Founded in 2014, Keypath is a global, market-leading edtech company in the online program management market. In collaboration with its university partners, Keypath delivers career-relevant, technology-enabled online higher education programs with the goal of preparing students for the future of work. The suite of services Keypath provides to its university partners includes designing, developing, launching, marketing, and managing online programs. Keypath also undertakes market research and provides student recruitment, support, and placement services. The services Keypath provides are underpinned by KeypathEDGE, its integrated technology and data platform. Keypath has more than 750 employees with operations in Australia, the United States, Canada, the UK, Malaysia and Singapore.

For more information contact:
Ryan Schneider, Associate Dean of Operations and Effectiveness, Chair and Associate Professor of Pharmaceutical Sciences
The University of Findlay, College of Pharmacy
schneiderr@findlay.edu

Ashley McGuire, Senior Manager, Global Communications and Brand
Keypath Education
ashley.mcguire@keypathedu.com

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Does Regulatory Complexity Stifle Innovation in Higher Education?

Sarah.Hellyer — Tue, 17 Jan 2023 20:30:30 +0000

Does Regulatory Complexity Stifle Innovation in Higher Education?

Sarah.Hellyer Tue, 01/17/2023 - 13:30

For degree programs that lead to professional licensure, regulatory complexity may be impeding educational innovation and growth opportunities for online pathways.

Online degree programs are helping to upskill and reskill individuals across all geographies and walks of life, enabling students to continue in their employment and/or social roles while seeking their degrees. Increasingly, degree programs in health professions and social services are creating distance or online degree pathways to meet the needs of learners and fill critical shortages in specific disciplines. But the devil is in the details when it comes to getting these programs up and running.

The regulation of online degree programs is multifaceted. Depending on the discipline, both state authorities and professional organizations may regulate institutions and set standards on individual programs to ensure that students are enrolling in legitimate educational offerings – and, in the case of degrees leading to professional licensure, these regulatory bodies set quality standards to safeguard the licensed professional discipline. But with layers of complexity and redundancy, unclear or unwritten rules, and prohibitively long processes, this oversight may be slowing much-needed growth and innovation to the detriment of universities, students, and high-demand fields in need of qualified graduates.

The demand for online or distance program formats has increased with Americans’ desire for remote and flexible schedules following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, especially among the adult learners most likely to be pursuing advanced degrees. According to a survey of prospective adult students conducted by SimpsonScarborough and LinkedIn, 80% of adult learners are interested in online education (and 40% have a decreased interest in in-person options). These adult learners are pragmatic in their reasons for going back to school - seeking tangible skills and competencies to help them advance or change fields and thereby increase earning potential and job stability.

Students seeking a solid return on their investment in higher education frequently seek a degree that leads to professional licensure, such as those in healthcare, teaching, or social services. Earning a degree that leads to licensure provides ample opportunity for job security and, often, decades-long career pathways, with multiple growth opportunities as experience and additional credentials are built upon the initial licensure.

However, despite student interest and the abundant need for licensed professionals, especially in health and social services, online program offerings in many of these fields are far from widespread. Moving an established on-campus university program to a distance or hybrid format is not always straightforward, especially when it involves a discipline that leads to professional licensure. Regulatory oversight, while necessary, creates challenges and often prohibits universities from expanding student capacity with distance or hybrid programs. The rigor of regulatory oversight varies by discipline and, in some cases, may inhibit educational innovation and enhanced enrollment capacity. As there is a market need for licensed professionals, the advent of online and hybrid educational programs – sought by students and proven to be efficacious – necessitates re-examining aspects of regulatory oversight that may be unnecessarily limiting capacity and confining modalities. Regulatory bodies can impact shortages of essential health and social services professionals by being receptive to innovations that expand program capacity and evaluating them from a data-driven perspective that leans on measurable student outcomes and other evidence of effectiveness.

State-imposed Complexities

To offer a professional degree that leads to licensure, universities must first understand and comply with the two layers of regulations promulgated by their own state’s higher education authority and professional boards. These two layers of regulation vary between each of the 50 states (plus the District of Columbia and U.S. Territories) and are sometimes outdated regarding the nuances of hybrid or online degree programs.

State Higher Education Authorities

Each state or jurisdiction has its own higher education authority that grants institutions the ability to confer degrees. These authorities regulate the creation of new educational institutions and have quality and reporting standards for the ongoing maintenance of colleges and universities within their jurisdiction. Each of these higher education authorities devises and implements its own rules for the approval and implementation of online degree offerings. Before an institution can offer a program with an online pathway, it must seek approval from the relevant higher education authority or, at a minimum, provide prescribed notification. For degrees that lead to professional licensure, additional state regulatory bodies may also have jurisdiction.

State Professional Boards in the Home State

Health and social services disciplines such as nursing, occupational therapy, counseling, and social work are regulated by professional boards within each state, often focusing on licensure, scope of practice, continuing education, and adjudication of complaints. Additionally, some boards may oversee educational programs that lead to licensure in their discipline to ensure programs have the resources and structure needed to promote student success. However, in doing so, they sometimes trail behind in academic innovation, likely due to limited resources explicitly dedicated to the dynamics of educational environments and evolving best practices.

For example, state boards of nursing (BON) are often very prescriptive towards pre-licensure nursing programs. The BON often sets parameters on the use of online instruction for didactic coursework, the use of preceptors in the clinical setting, the ratios of clinical faculty to students, the number of students permitted to enroll, and the use of simulation to fulfill clinical hours.

In addition to the unique rules and oversight imposed on nursing programs across 50+ jurisdictions, there is also a phenomenon of “silent rules.” There are certain subjects, such as the use of preceptors, for which a state board may not have established regulations. Because changes to pre-licensure nursing programs require state BON approval, a university might present proposed changes to a program, outlining compliance with the existing rules and regulations, only to be advised that the proposed plan is not approved for implementation because there are no written rules addressing the unique and innovative aspects of a distance program offering.

While it varies widely by jurisdiction, approval for new programs, new program pathways, or the use of innovative methodologies can take months or years - especially when the review and approval processes are undocumented or unclear. Whether this process is swift or drawn out, it is only when program approvals are obtained that a university can move on to the next stage of online growth - securing approval to enroll students across state lines.

Crossing State Lines Requires Compliance with Multiple State Agencies

Each state, U.S. Territory, and the District of Columbia has its own higher education authority regulating colleges and universities within its jurisdiction. Each of these authorities has different criteria for allowing universities outside their jurisdiction to enroll students residing within it. As such, a university must navigate and comply with 50+ different sets of rules outside of its home state in order to enroll students from each “host state.” This is a detailed and cumbersome process that requires dedicated resources.

With the shift to increasing options for distance and online programs that cross state lines, the National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity (NC-SARA) was established in 2013 as a nonprofit organization to expand access to educational opportunities by ensuring more efficient and consistent regulation of distance education programs. Through NC-SARA, states join regional compact agreements and ultimately agree to a common approach for state authorization of distance education. Through this commonality commitment, the quality of distance education programs is improved nationwide, students can more easily access distance education programs across state lines, and states are more coordinated on higher education opportunities. Currently, NC-SARA comprises 49 states (all except for California), the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

More than 2,200 universities/colleges are members of SARA, which, among other benefits, allows them to enroll students from NC-SARA states more easily without going through each state’s approval processes - as long as they do not establish a physical presence in the other state.

However, NC-SARA is not a magical one-button solution. NC-SARA allows state-level professional boards that oversee educational programming for the discipline to layer additional rules and regulations onto educational programs from outside the state. Examples of host-state professional board requirements can include:

Workers’ compensation insurance coverage for individuals completing clinical or fieldwork
Registration of students conducting clinical or fieldwork
Notification or approvals for clinical or field placements
Authorization from the board to enroll students from the state
Full new program approval from the host state
Faculty licensure requirements

Since each host-state professional board may implement unique additional rules for each discipline, there are still potentially 50+ different sets of rules to enroll or allow students to complete educational experiences in host states, even if the university and home state are members of NC-SARA. This creates a significant workload for the university to navigate the rules for each discipline, design and implement a plan for compliance, and conduct regular scans for updates to the rules and regulations. For many university faculty and administrators, deciphering these complex and evolving rules is beyond their teams’ bandwidth.

Crossing state lines for student enrollment is still just the tip of the iceberg for universities looking to implement educational innovation in programs leading to professional licensure. The next article in this 2-part series will explore the impact of state licensure requirements and professional accrediting organizations on program growth in the online space including recommended solutions to aid innovation for online pathways while maintaining compliance with necessary oversight.

Keypath supports university partners in an advisory capacity to navigate the many layers of complexity when launching or expanding online program pathways. Keypath’s comprehensive suite of online program management services includes marketing, recruiting, retention, course development, sourcing of qualified faculty, and supporting clinical placements. Contact us to learn more about partnership opportunities. 

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2022, September 8). Occupational Outlook Handbook. Retrieved December 1, 2022, from https://www.bls.gov/ooh/home.htm
Department of Safety and Professional Services. (n.d.) Nursing schools. Retrieved October 10, 2022, from https://dsps.wi.gov/Pages/Professions/NursingSchools.aspx;
Spector, N., Silvestre, J., Alexander, M., Martin, B., Hooper, J., Squires, A., & Ojemeni, M. (2020). NCSBN Regulatory guidelines and evidence-based Quality indicators for nursing education programs. Journal of Nursing Regulation 11 (2), S2-S64, from https://www.journalofnursingregulation.com/article/S2155-8256(20)30075-2/fulltext_

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Colleen Sanders RN, FNP-BC, VP Healthcare, Keypath Education

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Overcoming the Current Challenges Facing Nursing and Nursing Education

Sarah.Hellyer — Tue, 15 Nov 2022 19:55:04 +0000

Overcoming the Current Challenges Facing Nursing and Nursing Education

Sarah.Hellyer Tue, 11/15/2022 - 12:55

The solution – educating more nurses – leans on the same resources who are already stretched thin and in need of relief.

The challenges of nursing during COVID -19 brought much-needed attention to nursing shortages that had already been growing for years. There are a myriad of causes that will require complex, coordinated solutions – of which universities and healthcare organizations will need to be at the forefront.

One obvious solution to overcoming nursing shortages is enrolling a greater number of students (for which we advocate leveraging online/hybrid program models). Although that solution seems apparent, it is definitely not as facile as it looks at first glance. For successful program completion, each of those students will be obligated to fulfill clinical rotation requirements that use both human and physical resources. Like us, you might be asking yourself: How do we increase the number of students when we know our counterparts in healthcare organizations are overly challenged with depleted resources?

The challenges of clinical placement in this post-pandemic healthcare environment include a more complex dichotomy between the need to continue to educate new nurses and the growing intricacies of navigating placement sites riddled with COVID-19 restrictions, preceptor burnout, temporary or traveling staff, and experienced-nurse staffing shortages.

Having had the privilege to lead critical care departments during the first year of the pandemic, I can share firsthand the moral distress that occurs as one works to balance the needs of the employees and the needs of the students. Retain and grow… sometimes the rubber band struggles to stretch in both directions.

With these challenges in mind, let's explore how universities can build successful placement partnerships with stressed hospitals and care environments by viewing solutions through a framework many hospitals and healthcare systems are already working through, becoming high-reliability organizations.

Hospitals and healthcare systems across the country are on a journey to becoming high-reliability organizations (HROs), focusing on how they can provide the highest quality of care in the most efficient and patient-centered ways. With very little margin for error in quality care and patient safety, as well as patient experience, following the HRO principles can be foundational to their success.

Viewing the challenges and complexities of creating successful clinical learning experiences through the lens of HRO principles, especially for online/hybrid students – as well as mirroring healthcare industry standards – can help in developing efficient and effective partnerships that support the needs of hospitals and healthcare systems.

Anticipatory

The first three principles of high reliability are meant to be anticipatory. They are designed to guide, plan, and mitigate the risk of failure. There is a new normal in sites where healthcare is delivered, and it challenges our traditional approaches and thinking. Being adaptive and nimble, while still ensuring high quality standards are met, takes innovation. Here's how to use HRO guideposts as a road map to success.

Preoccupation with failure

It's essential to continually scan the placement landscape, seeking to identify specific areas of risk and potential failure proactively. This examination of the placement landscape includes anticipating points where a complex process can cause failure, dissatisfaction, delayed program completion, etc.

But knowing where something might fail is only half of the challenge. It also requires us to solve complex problems with ingenuity. So, we should continuously ask ourselves:

How might we implement processes or procedures to support student success?
How do we ensure all paperwork, credentialling, and standards are seamlessly accounted for?
How do we become trusted partners and build confidence in our healthcare placement facility sites?
How do we ensure that the clinical model serves both the student and the placement site to the greatest extent possible, all while matching the expectations of the facility, the university, the student, and the regulatory body?

Sensitivity to operations

Staying in tune with the bigger picture is a hallmark of the sensitivity to operations principle. Leaning in and exploring how each entity completes their work and understanding their pain points, overall goals, and daily objectives helps to ensure that any solutions will be relevant and viable.

For example, to maintain a sensitivity to operations, it would be important to pay keen attention to the processes that lead to the desired outcome. For example:

How do things like supply chain and equipment resources affect the ability to align education and practice?
What are the roles of the faculty, the preceptor, the nursing staff, hospital leadership, etc.?
How do their workflows overlap?
What is most important to ensure success? Do the essential elements align?

Sensitivity to operations means that one understands how the work gets done, sees where standardization may be of benefit, and recognizes how to ensure that any solution is nimble enough to endure a changing landscape. This principle takes intentional action and focused collaboration, especially in this unique and challenging post-pandemic time*.

Reluctance to simplify

Hospitals and healthcare facilities are finding that the human capital required for successful student clinical experiences faces unique and exacerbated challenges. These challenges include:

Secondary traumatic stress, moral distress, and burnout of the existing care team
Priority to precept newly hired nursing and ancillary staff over students
An oversaturation of agency or temporary staff (who don't traditionally precept)
A decrease in professional supportive roles such as educators and managers (many who have been refocused back to direct patient care)

After viewing this long list of challenges, someone might conclude that the easiest answer - or an oversimplified answer- would be to say, "it can't be done." Reluctance to oversimplify means taking the time to understand each challenge and reflect on ways in which to meet those challenges head-on. The work is worth it… so it's essential to look for the root causes of each obstacle and find solutions, even if it is complicated. The ability to leverage targeted resources allows you to not only work towards successful outcomes but also collect considerable information to guide how to solve complex problems in the future.

For example, "there are no preceptors" would be an oversimplification of the problem. Exploring with your resources, such as faculty, hospital leadership, and students, the actual limitations on precepting is what an HRO would do. Highly reliable organizations refuse the absoluteness of this kind of statement and look to uncover where the limits genuinely are, and then devise solutions to address those limitations.

Responsive

The last two HRO principles are about how organizations respond to challenges. Successful and highly reliable organizations embrace failure as an opportunity to improve and have doubled down on the growth and learning mindset. In times of accelerated change, being comfortable with ambiguity and embracing the perspective of failing forward is critical - not only to quality - but, ultimately, to sustainability and success.

Commitment to resilience

Staying committed to creating sustainable solutions, even in the face of adversity, is a challenge that is only met by top-tier organizations. This high-reliability organizational principle is even more essential in today's post-COVID world*. Sustainable solutions are created when universities can establish effective partnerships with healthcare clinical sites across the country. Committing to establishing and maintaining these relationships creates a network of resilience. These valuable partnerships can exponentially increase the ability to ensure appropriate and beneficial student placement.

In addition to this best practice approach, learning organizations also look for opportunities to establish processes that ensure redundancies are in place to prevent errors. The use of double checks, layered team resources, and tracking tools supports quality placement experiences.

A final key element to consider here is avoiding the blame game or the assumption that our shared challenges are "someone else's problem to solve." Being committed to resilience means being committed to collaboration and shared ownership of the challenges and the solutions.

Deference to expertise

The final responsiveness component to high reliability is ensuring that there remains a deference to expertise. Much like having a sensitivity to operations in the anticipatory elements of HRO, having a deference to expertise means staying committed to ensuring we LISTEN to those completing the work and build solutions based on the team's learned experience – those who are front and center in the placement process, the university faculty and staff, students, and clinical healthcare placement site staff.

HROs understand that devising solutions and solving problems without deference to the experts completing the work every day, often leads to low-quality and non-sustainable results. So, they look for ways to build feedback loops, have open-door policies, ask open-ended questions, listen with the intent to understand, and constantly seek to understand the work at hand.

"There are risks and costs to action. But they are far less than the long-range risks of comfortable inaction."

-John F. Kennedy

Yes, this work is challenging. Yes, it takes commitment and dedication. Solving the multidimensional problem of nursing shortages will require a multitude of solutions. BUT the helpers are out there, those who are passionate about caring for and improving the lives of others, and with thoughtful collaboration and effective partnerships, we can make an impact.

Like you, facilitating the successful education and preparation of aspiring nurses, as well as other health and social service professionals, is a responsibility that Keypath does not take lightly. The HRO framework is one way to make that happen that aligns closely with our core values.

Keypath supports clinical or field placement for our university partners as one facet of our comprehensive suite of online program management services, which also include marketing, recruiting, student support and retention, online course development, and faculty recruitment. Contact us to learn more about partnership opportunities.

*We acknowledge that COVID-19 is still present and impactful, and value the work frontline health professionals are still doing today as we move towards the crossroads of making the shift from pandemic to endemic.

Weick, K. E., & Sutcliffe, K. M. (2001). Managing the Unexpected: Assuring High Performance in an Age of Complexity (1st ed.). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Bethann Mendez, DNP, APRN, CCNS, Director of Healthcare Operations, Keypath Education

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How to Fix the Global Nurse and Healthcare Worker Shortages

Keypath Education US — Wed, 28 Sep 2022 19:38:40 +0000

How to Fix the Global Nurse and Healthcare Worker Shortages

Keypath Education US Wed, 09/28/2022 - 13:38

Global healthcare worker shortages: What can be done?

The state of the global healthcare industry is alarming, with the severe shortages in healthcare workers expected to continue for years to come. In fact, the World Health Organization estimates the industry will experience a massive shortfall of 18 million healthcare workers by 2030.

This shortage was exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, which revealed startling gaps in the availability of healthcare workers around the world. However, the pandemic isn’t solely to blame for the situation. Even before it began, the World Economic Forum highlighted drastic healthcare worker shortages in its 2020 Global Risks Report. Multiple earlier studies going back almost a decade also heralded a looming shortage worldwide.

Workforce shortages are impacting health care across the globe

Globally, the healthcare industry needs more workers. There are not enough doctors, nurses or other health workers to meet current demand, resulting in long wait times and patients missing out on essential care.

Key shortages include:

Nurses. The United Nations’ World Population Ageing Report predicts the number of people aged 65 or over will more than double by 2050, from 962 million to 2.1 billion. A global aging population means greater demand for healthcare services and nurses.

Exacerbating the problem is an aging nursing workforce. More than half of registered nurses in the US are over 50; by 2025, it’s estimated that two-thirds of this demographic will be eligible for retirement. With the aging of the nursing workforce, 17% of nurses globally are expected to retire within the next 10 years.

In light of these facts, it means we need a new generation of nurses to meet the demand, as well as to replace the current nursing workforce.

Nurses are the healthcare system’s backbone. When there aren’t enough nurses to provide care, patient outcomes are directly impacted.

Pharmacists. As a vital component of the global healthcare workforce, pharmacists deliver medication management, patient counseling, and education. They also support interdisciplinary collaboration to deliver high-quality care. Many countries around the world are increasing the number of pharmacists graduating every year in order to meet the demands and fill vacancies. There are currently 914 pharmacy schools in the world. Variations in pharmacy workforces typically reflect national- and regional-level economic indicators, with implications for unequal access to medicines and medical experts worldwide.

There are shortages of pharmacists across the United States, predominantly in rural areas. The situation is similar in Australia, where there have been warnings about pharmacist numbers potentially becoming inadequate to support the needs of regional and remote areas by 2027, exacerbating the country-city healthcare divide.

Pharmacist shortages lead to reduced patient care, poor patient outcomes, and increased healthcare costs.

Healthcare workers. A wide range of allied health professionals, like occupational therapy and physical therapy, are responsible for direct patient care. They also play a crucial role in the quality and availability of essential services.

Without enough healthcare workers, patient outcomes deteriorate, leading to longer wait times and higher costs. Too few workers can also result in greater burnout rates and staff turnover.

Countries around the world are facing the incredible challenge of educating and recruiting a new healthcare workforce. These people need to be trained appropriately and then swiftly oriented into the workforce to alleviate the current shortage and provide relief for burnt-out healthcare professionals. However, there are now fewer instructors available to educate new nurses. In rural communities — where nurse shortages are most keenly felt — the problem is even more challenging because university education can be harder to access.

The global nurse and healthcare worker shortage is a complex problem, requiring a multifaceted, solutions-based approach. This is why investment in health education and job creation is more vital than ever before.

Accessibility to the right courses can alleviate global nurse and healthcare worker shortage

Accessible education can alleviate the pressure

One of the causes of the global nurse and healthcare worker shortage lies in the lack of accessible education. If the importance of healthcare education isn’t recognized, there will be severe consequences for the health of citizens all over the world.

This is where universities can play a critical role. They have a unique opportunity to train more healthcare professionals through accessible online learning programs. This gives students the ability to study from any location. The complexities of roles in health care also see a necessity for periods of in-person skills training and simulation experiences to adequately prepare students for interacting with people during often vulnerable times of health crisis.

Aside from the flexibility of studying online, students can potentially save money on any travel costs they might incur to attend classes that are conducted on campus. There are also fewer restrictions on when classes are held, and you can schedule your study time as suits you best. The flexibility online study gives allows you to take care of other obligations, like family and your regular employment. A larger economic impact of online study is the savings for students in the relocation to a new town or city.

There’s no shortage of potential students who want to join the healthcare profession. In 2020, spaces in nursing courses were so limited that US schools had to decline more than 80,000 applicants. In Ontario, Canada, there was a 72% increase in applications for nursing programs from 2021 to 2022.

The numbers show that making education more accessible presents a real opportunity for universities. The online education model may be a significant factor in solving the pressing healthcare workforce shortages.

“A nurse who wants to upskill in mental health, for example, might not have the time because they’re working long hours in the hospital. And they can’t go to a university campus to do another four hours of study,” says Vivienne Mak, director of Health & Clinical Programs for Keypath Education.

“Our aim is to provide more access to healthcare education while ensuring the quality is still there. This involves working with our university partners to understand the key challenges they face.”

By extending opportunities for enrollment beyond the campus, universities can deliver high-quality education to more healthcare students and professionals, which will help to improve the lives of patients worldwide.

Nursing, and other healthcare occupations, can now be taught online via a hybrid education model.

The future of clinical and field placements

Traditionally, healthcare degrees and programs have been on-campus only because of the need for physical presence in practical components and lab situations. The practical nature of healthcare education and training was thought to have made it impossible to move them into an online format.

However, that is no longer the case.

Nursing, as well as other healthcare occupations, can now be taught online via a hybrid education model. The theoretical course components leverage dynamic content presentation and interactives to facilitate learning in an online classroom through a combination of synchronous and asynchronous activities. Additionally, for many health professional degree programs, immersive on-campus experiences are utilized to provide further essential learning. This includes necessary hands-on training, competency checking, collaboration, and simulation experiences that are essential for professional knowledge development.

Then, for clinical or field placements, Keypath can help universities to build their network outside their local geography, which helps universities provide students with the practical aspect of the course. Often universities don’t have this capacity because it is outside of their location and can take a lot of human resources to achieve.

“Keypath recognizes the need for qualified healthcare professionals, particularly in rural communities, where the education opportunities are limited but where the need is greater than in urban areas,” says Colleen Sanders, VP of Healthcare at Keypath Education.

“Keeping students in their communities while they’re learning enables them to gain the practical experience they need to complete their degree and obtain licensure. It also increases the likelihood they remain in that community after graduation to work as licensed healthcare professionals.”

Online or hybrid education models like this aren’t a case of just putting lecture notes online. By partnering the faculty’s areas of expertise with an online course provider’s insights, the courses are built to support the best student experience while preserving the integrity of the university’s education offering. Once they’re live, however, their impact is profound. Suddenly the university can now move beyond its geographical constraints when it comes to its nursing and healthcare education offerings. The impact of their faculty is amplified, and the university’s reach expanded. They’re now an active participant in alleviating the global healthcare worker shortage.

Online university healthcare programs are best managed in collaboration with the right online provider, and this facilitates practical learning by:

offering students opportunities to do clinical placements in their local communities so they can continue working while completing course requirements
enabling experienced workers to upskill or re-skill in flexible learning environments with quality institutions where, say, working nurses are able to transform into clinical leaders and advanced practitioners
leveraging simulation technologies to help students get hands-on experience in conjunction with real-life clinical or field settings
using the most sound educational pedagogy for online learning

Universities can help address the healthcare worker shortages and ensure quality care

Tomorrow won’t wait

Colleen says healthcare workers are the lifeblood of the health system, and they deserve the best education and training possible.

By providing accessible, quality health professional education, universities can help address the healthcare worker shortages and ensure quality care is available to patients worldwide.

As a leading global EdTech company, Keypath works in collaboration with innovative US, Canadian, UK, and Asia-Pacific universities to develop, design, and deliver successful career-relevant online and hybrid programs. Many successful healthcare programs have been delivered via this education model.

With operations across 6 countries and over 38 university partners, it’s a global leader in online healthcare education.

Transform healthcare education today with Keypath. We’re ready to empower your university to provide the best academic content online.

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Higher Education's Role in Easing the US Nursing Shortage

ashley.mcguire1 — Thu, 23 Jun 2022 20:32:23 +0000

Higher Education's Role in Easing the US Nursing Shortage

ashley.mcguire1 Thu, 06/23/2022 - 14:32

During my career as a nurse and nurse educator, nursing shortages have long been an issue and one I'm personally very committed to finding solutions for. I was interested to read this report from the Center for American Progress (CAP), How to Ease the Nursing Shortage in America, which highlights the numerous challenges to generating new nursing professionals and makes recommendations for long-term solutions. Nursing shortages are causing immense strain on healthcare systems and putting the health of our communities at risk today, which is why I advocate for a comprehensive mix of short- and long-term solutions to adequately ease current shortages and work towards a more robust and healthy nursing workforce for the future.

The CAP report states, "Evidence points to three main constraints that prevent higher education institutions from graduating more nurses: a shortage of nurse educators, a lack of clinical placements for student nurses, and inadequate campus facilities and equipment." While I agree with these three major categories, emphasis must be placed on addressing a few other challenges that constrain higher education's ability to train new professional nurses, specifically BSN-prepared RNs.

Prioritize the Increase of New BSN Registered Nurses

There is an overabundance of programs that bridge the gap between an Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN) and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree (commonly referred to as RN to BSN programs). There is a critical, identified need for RN-BSN programs – we know that BSN-prepared nurses improve patient outcomes. Hospitals prefer BSN-prepared nurses, and many employers are already helping individuals bridge from ADN to BSN. Some states, like New York, even mandate that nurses bridge from an ADN to BSN within a specific time period. However, RN-BSN programs do not increase the number of new registered nurses.

Most State Boards of Nursing Do Not Regulate "Post-licensure" BSN Programs

With employer and state licensure requirements generating demand for RN-BSN programs, the ease of offering these programs creates a surplus. Universities are able to deliver RN-BSN programs without constraint from the state boards of nursing. While program-level accreditation is an industry standard and does require resources and effort to obtain, RN-BSN programs are significantly easier for universities to offer because they do not include the laboratory, simulation, and clinicals required in a pre-licensure BSN program.

These programs have a significant online presence (reducing the burden of commuting), minimal clinical requirements (usually community or public health) and are generally inexpensive - more than 100 programs have tuition of $15,000 or less (Online Degree Database, 2022, https://onlinedegreedata.com).

Pre-licensure BSN Programs Face Considerable Roadblocks

In addition to bridging the educational gap from RN to BSN, professional regulating bodies, state boards of nursing, and higher education institutions should focus on preventing the gap by increasing enrollment in pre-licensure BSN programs. The BSN has long been recommended as the degree for entry into nursing practice by organizations such as the ANA, AACN, and Institute of Medicine (now the National Academy of Medicine). Creating more opportunities for the recommended entry-level degree in nursing helps build a highly-qualified workforce and increases the number of new nurses entering the field.

However, pre-licensure BSN programs are highly regulated by each state's board of nursing, creating 50 different sets of rules. Some of these rules actually impede educational innovation that could increase the capacity of universities to offer BSN programs to aspiring nurses. Additionally, thousands of applicants are turned away each year from existing BSN programs for various reasons, including lack of faculty, lack of clinical placements, and even program enrollment caps set by the state board of nursing.

Expanding Distance Education Opportunities Benefits Students, Universities, and the Workforce

The landscape of higher education was changing even before the COVID-19 pandemic, and the past two years have accelerated that change as more individuals see the benefit of online educational programs. Online or hybrid options allow students to maintain some semblance of balance between school and other life responsibilities, such as family, work, and social obligations, which significantly impact an individual's physical and mental well-being. Not to mention that distance education relieves the burden of relocating to a different city or state, an economic impossibility that many potential students cannot shoulder today.

Distance Accelerated BSN programs geared to second-degree students leverage online didactic coursework, in-person skills residencies, and in-person clinicals near the students' home community. This format is designed specifically for adult learners who already have a degree but want to pursue a second career in nursing. Second-degree BSN programs prepare nurses in 12-16 months on average because students have met all the general education requirements via their first bachelor's degree and completed nursing prerequisites before entry. This innovative model relieves many challenges to expanding nursing programs and gets new nurses into the workforce relatively quickly.

Distance Education Increases Clinical Placement Capacity

The distance model for accelerated second-degree BSN programs offers shorter-term solutions to increasing the number of BSN-prepared nurses because it reduces clinical placement bottlenecks. Enrolling students from across - or even outside of - their state distributes the placement locations. Placing a handful of students in a geographical area is usually significantly easier than placing multiple cohorts of students in one local region. Students are directed and evaluated by faculty from afar while utilizing qualified registered nurse preceptors to accomplish clinical placements in their home community.

Distance Education Helps Maximize the Use of Campus Infrastructure

Universities can also leverage existing physical infrastructure more effectively with distance programs. Students come to campus for skills residencies for concentrated periods, which universities can schedule when the simulation lab is utilized less or when campus-based students are on break, maximizing the use of existing resources. The increased enrollment capacity can then empower universities to build additional simulation resources over time, resulting in continued opportunities for growth.

Distance accelerated second-degree BSN education programs have already been proven to successfully prepare BSN graduates. University of Wisconsin Oshkosh (UWO) has implemented this model for over 20 years and consistently has above-average NCLEX pass rates for first-time test-takers, as demonstrated by a 94.05% in 2021. Additionally, their website boasts a retention rate of 99%.

However, states like Oklahoma, New Jersey, and Louisiana either have specific rules that prevent aspects of this innovative model or rules that are "silent" on distance education. This absence of rules on distance education or innovative models is handled differently by each of the 50 boards of nursing—with some allowing it and others indicating that because no rules exist, it cannot be done. Nursing boards can directly impact their state's ability to train BSN-prepared nurses via accelerated second-degree programs by allowing innovative educational models and increasing enrollment caps. Many states can do this immediately because no rules prevent distance education or preceptors. For many boards, the only barrier is their interpretation of the absence of rules.

Addressing Faculty Shortages with Increased Funding

The Center for American Progress report cites BLS salary data for nursing faculty, with a median faculty salary of $77,400 per year- almost identical to the median registered nurse salary of $77,600. However, when examining salary data for 13,028 registered nurse job postings requiring 5+ years of work experience, the median salary is $84,700. Looking further into salary data for the 3,926 postings listing MSN or Ph.D. with required 5+ years of experience, the median salary increases to $94,500 (Emsi Burning Glass – economicmodeling.com, June 2021 to May 2022, 20 June 2022). This data demonstrates that it is not just advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) making more money, and faculty salaries need to account for this. Academic positions may have perks related to work-life balance that can justify a salary differential; however, many nursing programs run 12 months per year, and many faculty are not getting "summers off." Higher education institutions must be willing to offer competitive pay if they want to recruit and retain qualified faculty.

The CAP report also calls for legislative action to increase funding to prepare future faculty, better analysis of the healthcare workforce via commissions at federal and state levels, and funding to incentivize clinical placement opportunities within health systems. While I agree that these initiatives will likely address the nursing shortage, they will take time. It is also important to note that the referenced Graduate Nurse Education (GNE) program that demonstrated monetary incentives to increase clinical placements was for graduate-level advanced practice nursing student placements, not pre-licensure placements. While I anticipate financial incentives for health systems and/or preceptors would increase their capacity for BSN placements, funding is years away.

The shortage of nurses is real and growing. Yes, increasing funding to generate doctorally prepared nursing faculty will help with one aspect of the enrollment limitations; however, doctoral education takes multiple years, and the recent impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic will only deepen the shortage. It's essential to address these longer-term solutions now to impact the future, but we also need to lean into solutions with more immediate impacts.

I believe the ideal shorter-term solution is for boards of nursing and health systems to embrace innovation and permit new pre-licensure BSN distance education models that will provide a pipeline of potential new BSN-prepared RN hires. State boards of nursing have a role to play in the inception of new nursing programs in their state to protect students and ensure infrastructure is in place for a BSN program to be successful. However, once a pre-licensure program has achieved CCNE or ACEN accreditation, state boards should rely on the expertise of professional accrediting bodies that set standards for nursing education programs rather than creating and implementing their own set of rules and regulations related to program changes and instruction. Other health disciplines such as speech-language, clinical mental health counseling, and physical therapy have long relied on professional accrediting bodies to monitor degree programs. Embracing an innovative model for pre-licensure BSN education offers a shorter-term solution that overcomes many of the constraints to easing the nursing shortage, alleviating some of the need while the implementation of long-term solutions begins.

Keypath currently supports second-degree distance Accelerated BSN programs with seven university partners, helping overcome the challenges that limit program capacity, creating opportunities for aspiring second-career nurses, and making an impact on nursing shortages. To learn more, get in touch with us here.

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Colleen Sanders RN, FNP-BC, VP Healthcare, Keypath Education

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Keypath Education Partners with Holy Family University

ashley.mcguire1 — Thu, 16 Jun 2022 19:05:55 +0000

Keypath Education Partners with Holy Family University

ashley.mcguire1 Thu, 06/16/2022 - 13:05

PHILADELPHIA and CHICAGO (June 16, 2022) – Holy Family University and Keypath Education announce the future launch of a Distance Hybrid Second-Degree Bachelor of Science Nursing (BSN) program, commonly known as an Accelerated Bachelor of Science Nursing (ABSN), designed to increase the reach and mission of Holy Family University to more students who desire to serve their communities in the healthcare field.

The Distance Hybrid Second-Degree BSN is an undergraduate degree and will be offered predominately online with a campus residency as well as in-person clinical placements in the student's home community. This hybrid degree program expands on Holy Family’s on-campus degree program and was created to reach an even wider and more diverse future student cohort across Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Mississippi, New Mexico, and Vermont, in addition to Holy Family’s home state of Pennsylvania, creating more accessible learning opportunities for students to upskill and create an impact in the communities where they live. The first cohort of students will begin class in January 2023.

"At Holy Family University, we are committed to transforming the lives of students through innovative and cutting-edge nursing education that develops nurse professionals who are holistically trained to be critical thinkers, collaborators, and professionals focused on patient-centered care," said Anne M. Prisco, Ph.D., President of Holy Family University. "Our Distance Hybrid Second-Degree Bachelor of Science Nursing program will extend the reach of our high-quality on-campus degree program and prepare all graduates to provide competent and compassionate nursing care to individuals, families, and communities in our evolving health care system.”

"We are continuing to see a growing need for registered nurses across the country, particularly in rural and remote communities,” said Steve Fireng, Global CEO at Keypath Education. “Colleges and Universities like Holy Family University are leading the way in addressing this shortage by delivering innovative distance learning options to meet aspiring nurses where they are, offering flexibility through an online format. By working with Keypath, Holy Family University can extend its on-campus degree into a first-class online learning experience and support its remote students wishing to complete degrees that require clinical placements.”

Universities across the globe are partnering with Keypath Education to design and deliver high-quality, career-relevant, and industry-aligned degrees built for working learners and the future of work, even across traditionally on-campus degrees with required clinical or field experiences. Leveraging KeypathEDGE, Keypath’s comprehensive suite of services, Keypath works with university faculty to reimagine in-person degrees into online courses with rural areas, underserved communities, and a global reach in mind. University faculty design and teach the program curriculum, and Keypath provides the program management to support an enhanced online student learning experience, including program marketing, recruitment, instructional and course design, clinical placement, and faculty recruitment services.

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About Holy Family University:
Holy Family University is a private Catholic institution located in Philadelphia, PA. Founded in 1954, the University’s mission is informed by its core values of family, respect, integrity, service and responsibility, learning, and vision. The University embraces diversity and inclusion, ensuring a welcoming and accessible learning community for all. The University is composed of four schools: Arts & Sciences, Business & Professional Studies, Education, and Nursing & Health Sciences. Nestled in the heart of a historic residential neighborhood in the Northeast, the University is just minutes from the excitement of Center City. Holy Family enrolls more than 3,100 students at the undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral levels at its Philadelphia and Newtown campus locations.

Holy Family University is a sponsored ministry of the Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth.

About Keypath Education:
Founded in 2014, Keypath Education is a global, market-leading EdTech company in the online program management (OPM) market. In collaboration with its 38 university partners, Keypath delivers career-relevant, technology-enabled online higher education programs to students to prepare them for the future of work.

The suite of services Keypath provides to its university partners includes designing, developing, launching, marketing, and managing online programs. Keypath also undertakes market research and provides student recruitment, support, and placement services. The services Keypath provides are underpinned by KeypathEDGE, its integrated technology, and data platform.

Keypath has over 700 employees with partners and operations in the United States, Canada, the UK, Australia, and Malaysia.

For more information contact:
Ashley McGuire, Senior Communications Manager
Keypath Education
ashley.mcguire@keypathedu.com

Christopher McKittrick, Communications Manager
Holy Family University
cmckittrick@holyfamily.edu

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Holy Family University partners with Keypath Education to offer a Distance Hybrid Second-Degree Bachelor of Science Nursing program, expanding its on-campus degree to reach working learners outside of its Philadelphia and Newton campuses

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How online degrees could help solve Canada’s nursing shortage

Keypath Education US — Tue, 25 Jan 2022 18:33:49 +0000

How online degrees could help solve Canada’s nursing shortage Keypath Education US Tue, 01/25/2022 - 11:33

Nurses are in high demand all over the world, and no country seems to have anywhere near the number of trained professionals to meet the needs brought on by COVID, and larger, systemic issues that preceded COVID. Our Vice President of Healthcare, Colleen Sanders, shares her thoughts with The Toronto Star about the important role online degrees can play in solving the nursing shortage.

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Colleen Sanders, RN, FNP-BC, VP Healthcare, Keypath Education

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Rockhurst University partners with Keypath Education

Keypath Education US — Mon, 13 Dec 2021 15:39:02 +0000

Rockhurst University partners with Keypath Education Keypath Education US Mon, 12/13/2021 - 08:39

KANSAS CITY, MO and CHICAGO (December 13, 2021) – Rockhurst University and Keypath Education will launch four new online and hybrid degree programs, including two online graduate programs, one online graduate certificate program, and one hybrid undergraduate degree designed to further Rockhurst University’s goal to become a regional leader in health care education and to help fill the need for skilled, compassionate health care providers

The new programs scheduled to launch in August 2022 are:

Hybrid Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing (ABSN)
Master of Science in Nursing
- Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP)
- Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner (AGACNP)
- Dual Track Program: FNP and AGACNP
Second Master of Science in Nursing, FNP
Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner Certificate

With 25% of Missourians living in rural areas, these programs will be offered predominately online with campus residencies to build and assess clinical competencies. The hybrid ABSN involves a two-week clinical residency at health centers in or near Kansas City for hands-on instruction, skill-building and direct patient care experiences. These offerings expand Rockhurst's on-campus programs to enable future and existing students to meet the health care needs of diverse populations through rigorous academics, rich and varied clinical experiences and a spirit of inquiry and reflection.

“By partnering with Keypath Education to offer these nursing programs in low residency format to students outside Kansas City, Rockhurst graduates will be able to serve the varied and complex healthcare needs of individuals and organizations in rural areas. These programs will provide opportunities for students to develop a meaningful career while addressing healthcare disparities in their communities,” said Kristina Henry, DNP, Associate Dean for Nursing and Chief Nursing Academic Administrator.

As one of 27 Catholic Jesuit higher education institutions in the United States, Rockhurst University offers a learner-centered, service-oriented, and community-minded approach, developing reflective leaders who are ethical, inclusive, and compassionate professionals committed to promoting justice for all.

“At Rockhurst University, we are committed to caring for and being with others in and outside the classroom and to offering a learning environment that emphasizes social justice and service,” said Rev. Thomas B. Curran, S.J., president of Rockhurst University. “By partnering with Keypath Education, Rockhurst will be able to extend our reach to a more diverse student cohort of nursing professionals who will put “cura personalis” [care of the whole person] into action.”

"Across the state of Missouri, we’re seeing a shortage in health professionals as 70 out of 114 counties were designated as health professional shortage areas for primary care according to Rural Health Information Hub," said Steve Fireng, Global CEO at Keypath Education. “This suite of programs from Rockhurst University will enable students who live outside of the local Kansas City area the ability to upskill and reskill to become registered nurses and nurse practitioners and directly impact the lives of Missourians across the state.”

Universities across the country are partnering with EdTech companies like Keypath Education to design and deliver online programs aligned to the skills demands of the future of work and that help solve our global social and economic challenges. University faculty design and teach the program curriculum, and Keypath provides the program management to support an enhanced online student learning experience, including marketing, recruitment, student placement, and support services.

About Rockhurst University:

Rockhurst University, founded in 1910 and located in the heart of Kansas City, Missouri, is a Catholic university in the Jesuit tradition committed to providing inclusive, innovative and transformative education. As a comprehensive university and supportive community of nearly 4,000 students, its mission is to form lifelong learners in the liberal arts tradition who engage the complexities of our world and serve others as compassionate, thoughtful leaders. U.S. News & World Report consistently names Rockhurst among the top Midwest Regional Universities. Rockhurst has held the community engagement classification from the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching since 2010. Learn more at www.rockhurst.edu.

About Keypath Education:

Founded in 2014, Keypath Education is a global, market-leading EdTech company in the online program management (OPM) market. In collaboration with its 35 university partners, Keypath delivers career-relevant, technology-enabled online higher education programs to students to prepare them for the future of work.

Keypath has over 700 employees with partners and operations in the United States, Canada, the UK, Australia, and Malaysia.

For more information contact:
Ashley McGuire, Senior Corporate Communications Manager
Keypath Education
ashley.mcguire@keypathedu.com

Katherine Frohoff, Director of University Relations
Rockhurst University
katherine.frohoff@rockhurst.edu

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Rockhurst University partners with Keypath Education to offer suite of online graduate, undergraduate and certificate healthcare programs, preparing future nurses with the skills to provide holistic care

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Spalding University partners with Keypath Education

Keypath Education US — Tue, 09 Nov 2021 14:31:14 +0000

Spalding University partners with Keypath Education Keypath Education US Tue, 11/09/2021 - 07:31

Spalding University partners with Keypath Education to offer suite of online graduate programs, supporting a shared mission to address societal needs in healthcare, education and social work

LOUISVILLE, Ky and CHICAGO (November 9, 2021) – Spalding University and Keypath Education announce the future launch of four new online graduate degree programs, designed to increase the reach and mission of Spalding University to more students who desire to serve their communities in the areas of healthcare, social work, and education.

The new programs are:

Master of Science in Nursing - Family Nurse Practitioner (MSN-FNP) launching Dec 2021,
Doctor of Education in Leadership (EdD) launching Dec 2021,
Master of Social Work (MSW) scheduled to launch March 2022, and a
Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) scheduled to launch Fall 2023.

These programs will be offered predominately online with clinical and field placements for the MSN-FNP and MSW programs, expanding Spalding's on-campus programs to reach an even wider and more diverse future student cohort across the country and creating more accessible learning opportunities for students to upskill and create an impact in their community.

"At Spalding University, our mission is to build a diverse community of learners who are dedicated to meeting the needs of the times, particularly in the areas of social justice, including education and healthcare," said Tori Murden McClure, President of Spalding University. "As the demand for the delivery of education continues to evolve, we are embracing new pedagogies and learning platforms that will help us reach more learners where they are, and support them to serve their communities with kindness, compassion, and justice."

"Nationwide, the demand for highly skilled healthcare and allied health practitioners has never been greater, particularly in rural and remote communities," said Steve Fireng, Global CEO at Keypath Education. "With this suite of programs from Spalding University, instead of relocating their lives for an on-campus experience, students will be able to learn and work - and ultimately improve the state of America's healthcare and social services systems – from their communities."

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About Spalding University:
Established in 1814 and located in downtown Louisville since 1920, Spalding is a historic, private institution that offers graduate, undergraduate, and accelerated programs in a range of areas of study. The regionally accredited university offers an innovative schedule of seven six-week sessions per year, allowing students to earn a bachelor's degree at their own pace. Spalding was recognized as the world's first Compassionate University. More information is available at Spalding.edu.

About Keypath Education:
Founded in 2014, Keypath is a global, market-leading EdTech company in the online program management (OPM) market. In collaboration with its 34 university partners, Keypath delivers career-relevant, technology-enabled online higher education programs to students with the goal of preparing them for the future of work.

The suite of services Keypath provides to its university partners includes designing, developing, launching, marketing, and managing online programs. Keypath also undertakes market research and provides student recruitment, support and placement services. The services Keypath provides are underpinned by KeypathEDGE, its integrated technology and data platform.

Keypath has over 600 employees with offices and partners in Australia, the United States, Canada, the UK and Malaysia.

For more information contact:
Ashley McGuire, Senior Corporate Communications Manager
Keypath Education
ashley.mcguire@keypathedu.com

Melissa Chastain, Dean – Enrollment Management and Strategic Initiatives
Spalding University
mchastain@spalding.edu

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We have what we need to help close the Nursing Shortage gap

Keypath Education US — Thu, 30 Sep 2021 20:20:43 +0000

We have what we need to help close the Nursing Shortage gap Keypath Education US Thu, 09/30/2021 - 14:20

Over the weekend, a headline appeared in the Toronto Star that caught my attention: “An Ontario nursing shortage has been predicted for years. Now, it’s turned into a ‘mega crisis.’”

As the headline implies, it’s news, but it’s not new.

Nurses are in high demand around the world and no place really has anywhere near the number of trained professionals to meet that demand. Nor is it a surprise. Governments, hospitals, and nurses themselves have known this moment was coming for a long time.

As Patty Winsa reports in the article, “As far back as 2009, the Canadian Nurses Organization predicted that the shortfall would reach 60,000 by 2022.” A shortage of 123,000 nurses expected by 2030 was highlighted in a Health Workforce Australia report as early as 2014 and again in a Deloitte report in 2018. The UK National Health Service identified 94,000 vacancies in its healthcare workforce. The 2017 US Registered Nurse Workforce Report Card estimated an RN shortage of over 500,000 by 2030.

COVID, of course, didn’t help matters. The Star article reports that the current US nursing shortfall could be as high as 1.2 million, and that some of those positions could be filled by nurses trained in Canada and lured south of the border. All of this, of course, is bad news for Canada. What’s worse, Doris Grinspun, CEO of the Registered Nurses’ Association of Ontario, believes there is no immediate solution to the crisis because training nurses takes such a long time and the need is so immediate.

What are we going to do about it?

Is there really nothing we can do to get more nurses into the system quickly? To answer that question, let’s look at four main barriers to success, and how they can each be overcome:

1) Lack of Instructors: Just as there are fewer nurses in the workforce to take care of patients, there are fewer instructors available to educate students in nursing and other healthcare fields. As Grinspun points out, the time it takes to train a nurse is considerable, and some of the most staggering shortages exist in rural communities where postsecondary education is not readily accessible.

However, we know that there are thousands of pre-career people waiting to get in the door of nursing programs. The Ontario Universities Application Centre reported a 72% increase in applications for nursing programs in 2021-22. Demand for nurses was so high in 2020, and spaces were so limited that American universities and colleges were forced to reject more than 80,000 nursing applicants according to the 2019-2020 Enrollment and Graduations in Baccalaureate and Graduate Programs in Nursing Report. Where there is demand among students, there is an opportunity to address it - either through government support or an innovative institution. The best part? In a distance model, clinical supervisors are spread out in communities across the country and Master’s-trained instructors can teach online from anywhere.

2) Distance Deterrence: One of the biggest challenges facing the working learner is geographic distance deterrence: working professionals are already well-established in their careers and their communities. They have families. Mortgages. Responsibilities. They often can’t simply pick up and move to a campus.

But online programs like the ones we design and deliver at Keypath are a fit for people who have career-oriented goals, but can't fit in on-campus education to upskill or reskill because of time, finances, work responsibilities, and life commitments. Already, there are five Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing (ABSN) programs available through distance programming in the US. It’s a start.

3) Lack of Capacity: Keypath Education brings a global, data-driven perspective to its partner universities and works with them to build capacity through distance learning programs. These programs ensure that students who are tied to specific communities through their work, like healthcare workers, are able to learn online and complete their clinical placements in the communities where they live. Experienced workers can be upskilled or re-skilled in a way that creates flexibility for the learner while maintaining quality for the institution.

Expanding enrolment beyond the campus footprint provides a university with new ways to connect working healthcare professionals and underserved communities with quality educational opportunities that, in turn, improve the lives of others, thereby fulfilling the fundamental mission of a university.

4) Technological Infrastructure: While the COVID-19 pandemic presents a massive global challenge, it has also been the catalyst for the kinds of innovations we need to build on distance programming. Hospitals and the people who work there are now making use of tools like tele-conferencing and telemedicine more than ever. The resources (such as secure platforms for communicating, cameras, screens, and internet bandwidth) needed to make it happen are already installed.

In almost every sector, the pandemic has changed how we work; of course, health care is no different, even while under the extreme strain of managing the front line of the pandemic. “Prior to this, we were only doing about a couple hundred telemedicine visits a day,” said Kevin Sowers, president of the Johns Hopkins Health System. “Overnight, we went from a couple hundred to 6,000.” A recent study, “How the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic changed medical education and deans’ perspectives in Korean medical schools,” shows that health care education is being called to change, too: “They projected further innovations in teaching and learning methods ... and highlighted the need to invest in faculty development so medical educators can be equipped and competent in diverse ICT (information and communications technology) learning platforms.”

We Can Close the Gap

The online education model for entry-level and advanced healthcare professionals presents an enormous opportunity for postsecondary institutions in every province to reach students where they are — whether living in rural communities or working full time and not able to attend a traditional in-person program.

Closing the gap on this shortage will enable an entire sector to meet the needs of the people who depend on them, creating opportunities for people eager to re-train, reskill or upskill and make meaningful contributions in their communities through their careers. And it means bringing more students to universities who need them. Health care and education are two of the province’s biggest priorities, affecting every single Ontarian.

Addressing the nursing shortage doesn’t have to wait. We have what it takes to act now.

Learn more about Keypath Education’s approach to worldwide health care innovation: “Solving the Worldwide Healthcare Workforce Shortage Using Online Education”

Graeme Owens, EVP & Country Manager at Keypath Education Canada

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